News Broadcasting
‘Mandela SOS’ global television concert in February
CAPE TOWN: Aids awareness concerts and events are the flavour of the yuletide season. The Mandela SOS Concert ,to be held on Robben’s Island in South Africa on 2 February 2003, will be broadcast globally on selected television networks.
The human rights concert aims at raising awareness and funds to fight the escalating human crisis that HIV/ Aids has become. The Mandela SOS concert, presented by EPOP Productions, (Education Powers Our Planet), will be staged within the walls of the maximum security prison on Robben Island in which Mandela spent 18 years of his prison term.
Tickets will be free and distributed by competition or lottery, details of which will be announced shortly. MSN, one of the sponsors of the live event, will host the Mandela MSN website (http://www.mandelasos.com), which will feature coverage of the live event. The concert line-up will be announced in the coming weeks.
Proceeds from the event will be distributed to The Nelson Mandela Foundation, UNAIDS (the joint UN programme on HIV/ Aids) the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Robben Island Museum.
The announcement of the launch event took place at the National Botanical Gardens in Cape Town. Mandela is being supported in this endeavour by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, media personality Oprah Winfrey, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson and Diesel President and Founder Renzo Rosso.
An official release stated that Africa has been hit harder by HIV/Aids than any other region of the world with more than 17 million succumbing to the disease and another 28.1 million infected with HIV. Currently there are 11 million Aids orphans in Africa and experts caution there may be more than 25 million by the end of this decade in the absence of concrete remedial action.
Meanwhile, A Time for Heroes initiative with Richard Gere is also scheduled to take place in Mumbai on 20 December.
News Broadcasting
Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
